CEDEN forms a joint venture with Josh McLean of Kanpai Studios to acquire Raini Studios
[Fish Bay, Tortola, BVI, December 13, 2023] CEDEN Network Ltd, in partnership with Kanpai Studios, has completed a total acquisition of Unicorn Interactive Limited DBA Raini Studios, a full-service Web3 gaming studio and publisher of The Lords of Light digital trading card game — which is one of the very few games in the digital collectibles space available on the Epic Games platform.
Bigger Team, Bigger Vision
RJV International DBA Raini Studios, the new BVI-based joint venture, will continue the legacy of Raini by growing and promoting The Lords of Light and the $RST ecosystem via new publishing channels, increased marketing focus and an expanded development team. The new studio is set to expand the scope of the Raini ecosystem beyond a single title and the narrow niche of a crypto-centric gaming audience, with a second game already in an early development phase since the acquisition.
CEDEN Chief Executive Alex Moody will assume day-to-day operational leadership of the new studio, serving as Managing Director, with gaming industry legend Mike Haller serving as Head of Gaming. Haller is best known for anime film titles such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell, leading the teams that created titles such as Medal of Honor and Def Jam Vendetta at Dreamworks and EA and winning Fighting Game of The Year multiple times with his WCW and WWE titles at THQ. Haller will be leading the Raini development team in the production of the studio’s second game title.
The Rights to Fight
Having secured rights to one of the leading combat entertainment IPs in the world, this unannounced title draws on the extensive experience of the entire newly formed team, is already in production, and slated to release in 2024.
“The Lords of Light is an incredible TCG with great balance, visual appeal and replayability,” according to Haller “and we look forward to continuing that legacy with The Lords of Light and growing the studio on a global stage with our next title.”
LayerZero:
Marty of Raini Studios said, “When implementing our new $RST token, we knew from the outset we wanted to work with LayerZero to enable a seamless cross-chain experience for the user, including cross-chain migration from $RAINI to $RST, and to enable future interoperability when new opportunities arose. Since then, we’re also testing a LayerZero [L0] proxy for all of our existing Collectable Cards and Collectable Packs, giving our community true ownership of their digital goods and a simple UX for moving assets wherever they want.”
Web3 Gaming
Josh McLean of Kanpai Studios said on the deal, “The gaming sector is clearly going to be the hottest space in the coming years. The opportunity to purchase an exceptional studio that I have been involved with already for years is a no-brainer. This deal opens doors for Kanpai Studios that were not previously explored and deepens our Web3 integrations while delivering direct value to panda holders. We can now significantly expand the entertainment offerings across the combat and culture space within the PPDEX in 2024 and beyond.”
Raini Studios’ debut title, The Lords of Light, was the first game to launch on Beam by Merit Circle, a gaming-centric subnet of the Avalanche blockchain. ‘’Raini Studios crafted a robust TCG and ecosystem. With the upcoming mobile version, we believe The Lords of Light is now ready for a wider audience. We’re thrilled about this acquisition, applauding their dedication to honor the existing ecosystem and their commitment to enhancing it with a new title. We are very excited to witness their joint development and marketing efforts.’’ Marco van den Heuvel — Co-Founder & CGO at Merit Circle.
More details on the future of Raini Studios will be coming soon!
About Raini Studios:
Raini Studios is a full-service Web3 gaming studio and publisher of The Lords of Light digital trading card game — which is one of the very few games in the digital collectibles space to be available on the Epic Games platform.
Play The Lords of Light • Purchase $RST • Website • Twitter • Telegram • Medium • Discord
About CEDEN:
CEDEN is building an infrastructure ecosystem to revolutionize how interactive entertainment is created and distributed. This includes tools and support for independent creators to democratize content creation as well as the CEDEN Network, a revolutionary NFT Node Network that decentralizes content delivery for gamers and creatives.
It’s time to move beyond the machine!
Website • Twitter • Discord • Medium
To learn more about Kanpai Studios: please email alex@ceden.network
